Multi-axial mast positioning system

ABSTRACT

A multi-axial mast positioning system includes a frame having two opposed vertical sections, an axle coupled to the frame and rotatable around a first axis passing through the opposed vertical sections of the frame, and a mast coupled to the axle and rotatable about a second axis aligned with and perpendicular to the first axis. Level sensors measure the orientation of the mast along the first and second axes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/682,296, filed on Apr. 9, 2015, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/977,949, filed on Apr.10, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated in this disclosure byreference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Prior art does exist for an extendable mast connected to a skid via alinkage that allows pivoting of the mast with respect to the skid. Atypical prior-art mast positioning system is taught by U.S. Pat. No.7,997,388. This design is inherently limited in the orientation of themast that it is able to achieve because of the type of actuators used,the positioning of the actuators relative to each other, the existenceof a pivot point at the far end of the mast and by the linkage that isused to orient the mast. Due to all of these limitations, the system isonly capable of orienting the mast in a substantially vertical positionon a maximum slope of up to about 8 degrees.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved multi-axial mast positioningsystem that does not suffer from these limitations.

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment of the invention, A multi-axial mastpositioning system includes frame having two opposed vertical supportsections, an axle coupled to the frame and rotatable around a first axispassing through the opposed vertical sections of the frame, and a mastcoupled to the axle and rotatable about a second axis aligned with andperpendicular to the first axis.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood with regard to the followingdescription, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an illustrative embodiment of the presentinvention mounted on the bed of a pickup truck.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an view of an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention in a common stowed position.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another isometric view of an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention in a common stowed position.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a side view of an illustrative embodiment ofthe present invention in a common stowed position.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an isometric view of an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention in a common at the ready position.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an isometric view of an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention in a common at the ready positionwith portions of enclosure covers cut away to show inclinometers.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a front view of an illustrative embodimentof the present invention in a common at the ready position.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an isometric view of an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention in a side-to-side tiltedat-the-ready position.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a front view of an illustrative embodimentof the present invention in a side-to-side tilted at-the-ready position.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a side view of an illustrative embodimentof the present invention in a front-to-rear tilted at-the-readyposition.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an isometric view of an alternateillustrative embodiment of the present invention in a common stowedposition.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an isometric view of the alternateillustrative embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 10 in a commonat-the-ready position.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an illustrative rotary actuator that can beused in the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing exemplary control logic that may beused in the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an exemplary control configurationthat may be used in the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing an illustrative sequence for operatingthe multi-axial mast positioning system of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a multi-axial mastleveling system according to the present invention is capable ofpositioning a mast at any desired orientation independent of the pallet(or other support structure) by which it is supported. This capabilityis achieved by use of at least two continuous rotation actuatorsoriented in two planes that are orthogonal relative to each other.

The multi-axial mast leveling system 10 of the present invention isparticularly useful for deploying masts mounted on mobile platforms,such as the bed of a pickup truck 12 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The mast14 depicted in the system of FIG. 1 includes a radar dome 16, a daylightcamera 18, and a night vision camera 20, although persons of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate that the payload shown in FIG. 1 ismerely illustrative and non-limiting, and that the payload placed on themast 14 in any particular application will depend solely on theapplication.

One illustrative embodiment of the multi-axial mast leveling system 10of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-10.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the multi-axial mastpositioning system of the present invention includes frame 22 having twoopposed vertical support sections 24, an axle 26 coupled to the frameand rotatable by a rotary actuator 28 around a first axis passingthrough the opposed vertical sections of the frame. The mast 14 iscoupled to the axle 26 and is also rotatable by a rotary actuator 30about a second axis aligned with and perpendicular to the first axis.One type of actuator that can be used in the present invention isidentified as model number ZKE9C-61MHA-1205RC-DB215 slewing drivesmanufactured by Kinematics Mfg. of Phoenix, Ariz. However, anyrotational output gearbox or actuator (whether electrical, mechanical orhydraulic) can be used. These rotary actuators are particularly useful,among other reasons, due to their high gear ratio (61:1) which preventsback-drive of the rotary actuators and because of their high backwardholding torque capabilities. The rotary actuators are able to rotate themast 360° about two orthogonal axes, which allows the mast to beoriented to any desired orientation. This can be an operationalorientation or an orientation that facilitates easy access to thepayload atop the mast in order to make adjustments, perform maintenance,installation or removal. This arrangement of the rotary actuators 28 and30 relative to each other also allows for each rotary actuator to act onthe mast independent of all other actuators and without being limited bythe mechanical limitations of its own range of movement, the range ofmovement of the other rotary positioners, or the physical limitationimposed by the structure of the mast or the pallet (or other supportingstructure).

The mast 14 is preferably a telescoping mast and may be extended andretracted using a motor drive unit 32 as is known in the art. Oneexample of such a mast is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,413,390.

Attachment of the mast 14 to the frame 22 (pallet or other supportstructure) occurs with at least one rotary positioner (28) being affixedto the mast at an intermediate position along the length of the mast andthen that same rotary positioner being attached to the supportstructure. By at least one rotary actuator (28) acting on the mast at anintermediate position along the length of the mast, the mast requires asmaller linear displacement in which to achieve the same angulardisplacement compared to a system that would use either end of the mastas the pivot point.

The use of rotary actuators 28 and 30 allows each actuator to act in amotion concentric with the axis of rotation normal to the plane to whichthey are affixed. This feature eliminates the need for any multi-memberlinkage to act on the mast 14 to cause it to pivot about an offset pivotpoint. Elimination of a multi-member linkage improves the rigidity ofthe system while eliminating potential failure points of the system thatwould exist at all of the pivotal connections inherent in a multi-memberlinkage.

The embodiment depicted in FIGS. 2 through 10 uses a first rotaryactuator 28 to drive axle 26. A second rotary actuator 30 is affixed toaxle 26. An alternate embodiment of the multi-axial mast positioningsystem of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 utilizes afirst rotary actuator 28 to rotate the mast 14 around a first axispassing through the opposed vertical sections of the frame as in theembodiment depicted in FIGS. 2 through 10. The frame 22 is mounted to asecond rotary actuator 38 that is used to rotate the entire frame 22.Together, actuators 28 and 38 can level mast 14 in both X and Ydirections. This embodiment does not use rotary actuator 30.

FIG. 13 depicts an illustrative rotary actuator that can be used withthe present invention. The actuator includes a motor 42 driving a wormgear disposed inside of worm gear enclosure 44. The worm gear drives aplanetary gear inside of planetary gear enclosure 46.

The system is controlled by utilization of an integrated controller 50to drive rotary actuators 52 and 54 as shown in FIG. 14. When the mast14 is ready to be deployed, the controller 50 receives input from eitheran array of sensors or a single sensor (reference numeral 56) that isaffixed to the pallet (or other support structure). In one embodiment ofthe invention, sensors 32 x and 32 y attached to the frame (shown in acutout portion of an enclosure 34 in FIG. 6) report the inclination ofthe frame to the control system. Sensors 58 (sensors 34 x and 34 y shownin a cutout portion of an enclosure 36 in FIG. 6) attached to the mast14 reports the inclination of the mast to the control system.

Next, it receives input from either a human or non-human operator(reference numeral 58) indicating what the desired orientation isrelative to the orientation of the pallet (or other support structure).Once the desired orientation has been sent to the controller 50, thecontroller 50 then actuates the rotary actuators 52 and 54 to beginorienting the mast. As the mast is being oriented, the controllerreceives real-time input from either an array of sensors or a singlesensor (reference numeral 58) affixed to the mast 14. It continuallycompares this input from the sensor(s) on the mast 14 to the desiredorientation. Once all inputs have reached the predetermined position asdetermined by the controller based on the human or non-human input, themast is ready to be extended.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing an exemplary control system 60 thatmay be used in the present invention. The controller system 60 canoperate from a fixed voltage supply, such as 24 V, shown at referencenumeral 62. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatthe control system 60 depicted in FIG. 15 is merely illustrative andthat other additional functions or fewer functions could be provided inother embodiments.

The control system 60 shown in FIG. 15 can employ a pendant or othercontrol panel 64 connected to the other components in the control system60 wirelessly or by a suitable cable. Provision may also be made toprovide an Internet interface 66 to allow the control functions to beimplemented remotely. Internet interfaces are well known in the art.

The control module 68 can employ a suitable microcontroller to implementall of the functions described. Implementation of such a control module68 and microcontroller is well within the level of ordinary skill in theart.

The Extend/Retract functions used to extend and retract the mast 14 canbe momentary functions enabled by a momentary switch 70. When Extend isselected, the X-slew motor 72 is rotated in the CW direction until theswitch 70 is released. When Retract is selected, the Y-slew motor 74 isrotated in the CCW direction until the switch 70 is released. 0 V onboth X-slew Motor+ and X-slew Motor− lines stop the X-slew motor and 0 Von both Y-slew Motor+ and Y-slew Motor− lines stop the Y-slew motor. Ifthe mast 14 reaches the extend limit as sensed by the height indicator76, further extension of the mast 14 will be inhibited Likewise if themast 14 reaches the retract limit as sensed by the height indicator,further retraction of the mast 14 will be inhibited. Both Extend andRetract functions will only operate when the MAINTENANCE switch is inNORMAL mode of operation.

The Extend Indicator 78 may be an LED that shows the status of the mast14 when the mast is being extended. During the extend operation theExtend Indicator LED may be caused to flash, e.g., at a rate ofapproximately 1 Hz when the mast is being extended. If the extend limitis reached the Extend Indicator 78 LED may be caused to remain ON, andthe mast 14 will no longer extend. When the extend function is notselected the Extend Indicator 78 LED will remain OFF.

The Retract Indicator 80 may be an LED that shows the status of the mastwhen the mast is being retracted. During the retract operation theRetract Indicator 80 LED can be caused to flash, e.g., at a rate ofapproximately 1 Hz when the mast is being retracted. If the retractlimit is reached the Retract Indicator 80 LED can be caused to remainON, and the mast will no longer retract. When the retract function isnot selected the Retract Indicator 80 LED will remain OFF.

The Auto Level function is momentary function used to level the mastthat may be enabled by a momentary switch 82. The mast 14 will not AutoLevel unless the mast 14 is fully retracted. When Auto Level is selectedthe mast is automatically leveled. The signal must remain true untilLevel is reached, if it is not the function will terminate. Auto Levelis achieved when the Auto Level Indicator is on. The Auto Level functionwill only operate when the MAINTENANCE switch is in the NORMAL mode ofoperation, Maintenance Indicator HIGH.

The Auto Level Indicator 84 may be an LED which shows the status of theAuto Level operation. When the Auto Level mode is selected by switch 82the Auto Level Indicator 84 can be caused to begin flashing, e.g., at arate of approximately 1 Hz, and continue flashing until the operation iscomplete, then it will remain illuminated, indicating that the operationis complete. The Auto Level Indicator 84 will remain ON, 1 as long asthe mast 14 is level. When the mast 14 is not level the Auto LevelIndicator will be OFF. The Auto Level function cannot be selected unlessthe mast is fully retracted and the Retract Indicator 80 is ON.

The Auto Stow function is a momentary function selected by switch 82used to stow the mast 14. The mast will not Auto Stow unless the mast 14is fully retracted. When Auto Stow is selected by switch 82 the mast 14is automatically stowed. The signal must remain true until Stow isreached, if it is not the function will terminate. Auto Stow is achievedwhen the Auto Stow Indicator 86 is on. The Auto Stow function will onlyoperate when the MAINTENANCE switch 88 is in the NORMAL mode ofoperation.

The Auto Stow Indicator 86 may be an LED which shows the status of theAuto Stow operation. When the Auto Stow mode is selected the Auto StowIndicator 86 can be caused to begin flashing, e.g., at a rate ofapproximately 1 Hz, and continue flashing until the operation iscomplete, then it will remain illuminated, indicating that the operationis complete. The Auto Stow Indicator 86 will remain ON, as long as themast 14 is stowed. When the mast is not stowed the Auto Stow Indicator86 will be OFF The Auto Stow function cannot be selected unless the mastis fully retracted and the Retract Indicator 80 is ON.

The Excessive Slope Indicator 90 may be an LED which will turn ON if thesystem has exceeded a predetermined leveling range of the mast in eitherthe X or Y axis. If the Excessive Slope Indicator 90 is on Extend,Retract, Auto Level, and Auto Stow will not operate until the system isre-orientated within the limits of the system.

The Low Voltage Indicator 92 is a LED which will turn ON if the voltageto the system is at such a level that it could prevent the system frompreforming normal operations. This voltage level is dependent on theparticular system and is typically set at the factory.

The Maintenance Indicator 94 may be an LED which will turn ON when thesystem is in the Maintenance mode of operation due to operation ofswitch 88. In one embodiment of the invention, to place the system inMaintenance mode the control box front panel must be opened and theMaintenance switch 88 placed in Maintenance position. The only functionsthe system can perform are the ones provided on the maintenance panel,i.e. Limited Extend, Retract, and full travel in the X-axis. The LimitedExtend and Retract functions are usually programmed at the factory.

The System Indicator 96 can be configured to work on flash codes.

The Switched Power function at switch 98turns power onto the system.

The On/Off Indicator 100 will indicate if the system power is ON.

Manual control of the x and y actuators may be implemented by switches102 and 104, respectively. Whether working in an automatic mode or amanual mode, inputs from x and y level sensors 106 on the frame 22 areprovided to the control module, as are then outputs of the X positionsensor 108 and Y position sensor 110 associated with the actuators.

The system is capable of acting on a mast and pallet combination that isstatic or one that is in a dynamic environment such as a moving vehicle.In the case of the moving vehicle, the system would remain active at alltimes and continually orient the mast to the desired orientation as theslope of the ground changed due to movement of the vehicle.

The second depicted embodiment of the design shown in FIGS. 10 and 11separates the positioning of the rotary actuators allowing for a morecompact pallet (or other support structure) to be utilized by the systemwhile still achieving the same performance as the previously depictedembodiment. In this embodiment, at least two rotary positioners are usedand at least one is positioned at an intermediate position along thelength of the mast and acts directly on the mast at that position. Theother rotary positioner has been moved to the outside of the pallet (orother support structure) and acts on the mast by indirectly by rotatingthe pallet (or other support structure) to which the mast is affixed.This embodiment provides the benefit of a smaller pallet being requiredin order to achieve the same range of motion afforded by the previousembodiment.

Referring now to FIG. 16, a flow diagram shows an illustrative sequence120 for operating the multi-axial mast positioning system of the presentinvention. The sequence starts at reference numeral 122.

At reference numeral 124 the mast is tilted from the stow position.Next, at reference numeral 126 the frame inclination is measured in boththe x and y directions using the inclinometers on the frame. Atreference numeral 128 it is determined whether the frame inclinationangle is too great to ensure the stability of the extended mast and itspayload. The actual maximum angle in any given embodiment will depend onengineering considerations particular to that embodiment and will beeasily determinable by persons of ordinary skill in the art.

If the angle is too great, at reference numeral 130 an error is reportedand at reference numeral 132 the sequence ends. It can be reinitiatedafter the vehicle has been repositioned to correct the problem.

If, at reference numeral 128 the angle was within the acceptable range,the sequence proceeds to reference numeral 134 where the mast ispre-positioned to a nominal plumb position based on the measurementsthat had previously been made at reference numeral 126. At referencenumeral 136, an x-orientation reading is taken from the sensors on themast. If the mast is not plumb in the x direction, the method proceedsto reference numeral 138 where the x-rotation of the mast is corrected.If the mast is plumb in the x direction, the sequence proceeds toreference numeral 140 where a y-orientation reading is taken from thesensors on the mast. If the mast is not plumb in the y direction, themethod proceeds to reference numeral 142 where the y-rotation of themast is corrected. If the mast is plumb in the y direction, the sequenceproceeds to reference numeral 144 where the sequence at referencenumerals 136, 138, 140, and 142 is repeated to perform a fineadjustment. If the fine adjustment has already been made, the sequenceproceeds to reference numeral 146, where the mast extend function isenabled.

At reference numeral 148, the mast extension motor is started to extendthe mast. This may be a manual operation or an automatic operation insome embodiments of the invention. At reference numeral 150 the processcontinues to extend the mast until it has reached its maximum height.The sequence then proceeds to reference numeral 152 where the motor isstopped. The sequence ends at reference numeral 132.

Although the present invention has been discussed in considerable detailwith reference to certain preferred embodiments, other embodiments arepossible. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should not belimited to the description of preferred embodiments contained in thisdisclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-axial mast positioning system comprising:a frame having first and second opposed vertical sections; an axlehaving a first and second end, the first end rotatably coupled to thefirst vertical section of the frame; a first rotary actuator having afirst end mounted to the second vertical section of the frame and asecond end rotatable with respect to the first end attached to the axleso as to rotate the axle; a mast having a plurality of telescopingsections extendable from a base section along a longitudinal axisthereof; a second rotary actuator having a first end mounted to the basesection of the mast and the axle and a second end rotatable with respectto the first end attached to the base section at an intermediateposition along the length of the base section and at a single pointalong the axle at a position essentially midway between the first andsecond vertical sections of the frame so as to tilt the mast about atilt axis aligned perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the mast. 2.The multi-axial mast positioning system of claim 1 wherein the mast iscoupled to the second rotary actuator at a point proximate to its centerwhen the telescoping sections of the mast are in a retracted position.3. The multi-axial mast positioning system of claim 1 furthercomprising: a first orientation sensor coupled to the mast to sense anorientation of the axle; and a second orientation sensor coupled to themast to sense an orientation about the tilt axis.
 4. The multi-axialmast positioning system of claim 3, further comprising: a control systemcoupled to the first and second orientation sensors and to the first andsecond rotary actuators, the control system configured to engage thefirst and second rotary actuators to move the mast to a substantiallyvertical orientation in response to signals from the first and secondorientation sensors.
 5. The multi-axial mast positioning system of claim4 wherein the control system is capable of continuous operation.
 6. Themulti-axial mast positioning system of claim 4 wherein the controlsystem is further configured to engage the first and second rotaryactuators to move the mast to a stowed orientation.
 7. The multi-axialmast positioning system of claim 1, further comprising: amast-telescoping motor drive coupled to the plurality of telescopingsections of the mast to extend and retract the telescoping sections ofthe mast.
 8. A method for operating a multi-axial mast positioningsystem disposed on a frame, comprising: 1) measuring inclination anglesof the frame in x and y directions; 2) reporting an error if theinclination angles of the frame in either x and y directions is greaterthan a predetermined limit; 3) if neither inclination angle of the framein x and y directions is greater than the predetermined limit: 4)pre-positioning the mast to a nominal plumb position based on themeasured inclination angles of the frame in x and y directions; 5)determining whether the mast is plumb in the x direction and ifnecessary re-positioning the mast in the x direction until the mast isplumb in the x direction; 6) determining whether the mast is plumb inthe y direction and if necessary re-positioning the mast in the ydirection until the mast is plumb in the y direction; 7) determiningwhether the mast is plumb in the x direction and the y direction and ifnecessary repeating 5) and 6) until the mast is plumb in the x directionand the y direction; 8) enabling the mast extend function after it isdetermined that the mast is plumb in the x direction and the ydirection; 9) extending the mast after the mast extend function has beenenabled.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein extending the mast comprisesextending the mast to a maximum height.
 10. The method of claim 8further including tilting the mast from a stowed position beforemeasuring the inclination angles of the frame in the x and y directions.